Actuarial Associate Consultant Review

I went into this without having any prior work experience in Actuarial. Working for Aon Hewitt, in the Leeds office, has confirmed for me that this is exactly what I want to get involved in after graduating from university.

I was invited on socials, involved in the office banter, and never made to feel second-class just because I was an intern. Everyone in my office, particularly in the PAS team, the consultants, and the admin department, made me feel at home and like I belonged there.

Aon Hewitt runs a two-fold management system - firstly, there is your buddy, usually a student with about one year's experience. They are really useful in helping you get started, and my buddy was extremely helpful and supportive throughout this experience. This is the first port of call for receiving your workload. Secondly, you have your line manager, generally someone with 2 or more years of experience. My line manager went the extra mile in providing me with the opportunities neceassry to develop during this internship. They are responsible for overseeing your overall development.

Like in any area of business, you are going to have on or two days where you seem to be snowed under, and a few days where you are looking for things to do. However, I feel that the balance I have had has been enough to keep me busy and allow me to learn how to manage my workload, but not so busy that I was left tearing my hair out.

You are not going to trust an intern with multi million clients right from the off! Nearer the end of my internship, where I had proven myself capable and had gained the know-how necessary to cope, I began to be given bigger projects and more important, challenging work.

Nothing that I have learnt will be wasted. The key phrase being "transferrable skills", ranging from time management to getting the most out of your team.

You are in an office, and you are there to work. That being said, I felt like I had landed on my feet with this internship! It was not the stuffy office that I had expected!!

This is the one thing my internship fell down on. The merger between Aon and Hewitt made it difficult at times to gain access to the proper IT systems and so on. I was one of the few to experience this though, and I am sure that this problem will be phased out in the next few months. I hasten to add that my line manager and particularly my buddy were excellent in this area.

I really felt that Aon Hewitt wanted to invest everything that they had into me becoming a potential actuarial student.

I feel that the firm likes me and the work that I do, and that I fit in at the office - but of course you never know. You find out if you have got a job or not in the final week of your internship.

There were always nights out and things going on, whether company-organised, meeting up with the other interns, or catching up with colleagues after work. Just this Monday, I went out with a few guys from the office to an Argentinian steakhouse!

Leeds is a pretty cheap area, considering the fact that it is essentially the financial capital of the North.

A lot of good clubs in Leeds! As anyone who actually lives there or goes to university there could tell you.

Aon 5s is a yearly tournament between the offices, with sports such as football and netball on offer.